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Speaking to the people who live in an area where it gets cold .
What do you guys do during the winter. Does anybody change their tires to winter tires or all season tires so they can drive during the 3 to 4 months when it’s cold without issue? Or do you just drive your summer tires in the winter and not worry about it? Or do you not drive your car during the cold periods of time.
If you change your tires, do you have a whole different set or do you put the new tires on your current wheels and then switch them back?
I did not drive my TTS in the winter
I have two friends that did
one had separate set of wheels and tires
another one had snow tires on stock wheels
bottom line both options are good depending on your perspective
if you are keeping the car for multiple seasons , I find it more cost effective to buy an extra set
also I don't know about your area, but in my area Mobile truck tire replacement are around , and I found one that is reliable , so they can do the switch at home
need to check if they have CL tools
My TT is my 4-season daily driver. I have purchased the Porsche OE dedicated set of wheels and tires for winter. Since I track my car a fair bit, I am quite comfortable doing center lock wheel changes, so I do it myself. It is roughly a 30min job including taking the wheels and tools in and out of the workshop. I find to be much less of a hassle than having to deal with appointments and having to bring the car in a shop for tire changes twice a year.
Driving a powerful sports car in the white stuff is a real blast!!
I purchased a set of all-season Pirelli tres to use for the winter. I don't plan to do heavy snow travel. Any decent choices for wheels to put these on? I didn't want to spend the money on OE wheels. I can't seem to find any used ones. The cost to switch is about $200 each time so $400/year.
I am up in the north east this winter and just bought the Pirelli P-Zero Winters. They are going on my stock ED wheels. Likely not going to drive in any snow storms or when snow is falling, but they are mainly for lower temps. Dealer charges $280 for the swap. Summer/Performance tires can be very sketchy in lower temps so I would definitely suggest a winter or all-season set. Last year even taking it for a spin around the block to dust the cobwebs off before transport south - I had to come to a quick stop and it slid maybe 5ft - luckily no one in front of me. Could be also because tires weren't warmed up as I've had the same effect on cold start in warmer temps, but I wouldn't risk it.
The dealer told me they were "not approved" because they aren't rated, but with all that said they are happy to put them on. They are the exact size of the OEM summer/performance ones and currently the only winter set listed on tirerack. I was considering a dedicated wheel set as well, but will probably wait for a deal to be had to pick some up.
For both my 991.1 and 992.1 TTS's I purchased a winter wheels/tire setup from my dealer. Pirelli Sottozeros on the 991, and Micheline Alpin 5s on the 992. I haven't had a chance to drive the 992 in the snow yet, so I don't know how the Alpins will do (though the reviews are promising). The 991 with the Pirelli's was pretty munch unstoppable, and I drove it with confidence through all weather conditions.
Maybe you don’t see the winters we get in Canada. In Alberta they salt and sand the hell out of the roads here, destroys your vehicle. Rust and corrosion everywhere.
If you look where the Turbo‘s are on these cars, they’re gonna get sprayed with salt and rocks and everything.
Make sure you check your intakes for rocks etc, the front tires spray everything right in there.
We are pretty bad now, in the spring, all the grass is dead where ever they push that crap onto it. I park the car for the winter, she's too pretty for winter duty
I drive mine all winter in Gaithersburg MD. It gets cold, sometimes really cold, but I still drive it, even though it's not the totally safest thing to do. Never had a problem with my hockey pucks, I mean, cold tires in the winter. If it's going to rain, snow or sleet in the forecast and at the same time, really cold (frozen precip), I would never take out the car. Your mileage will vary greatly I'm sure. I would never get a separate set of wheels/tires, I'm just not that guy.
Last edited by Steve 96C4S; 11-10-2023 at 09:02 AM.
I used to drive all year on the summer tires, but I do not feel safe. The tires I got were discounted. My Porsche dealer won't mount them as the fronts do not have an "NO", but the rears do. Go figure. Will have to go after market tire place.
Maybe you don’t see the winters we get in Canada. In Alberta they salt and sand the hell out of the roads here, destroys your vehicle. Rust and corrosion everywhere.
If you look where the Turbo‘s are on these cars, they’re gonna get sprayed with salt and rocks and everything.
Make sure you check your intakes for rocks etc, the front tires spray everything right in there.
Salt is not too bad. I drove my 991.2 TTS for 4 BC winters, with drives to interior and even one snow rally - no corrosion. Some aluminium parts developed thicker whitish surface layer after the first winter but that stopped progressing right away. I guess the oxide layer sealed aluminium completely. I saw no iron rust. My aftermarket exhaust had its mounting hardware rust badly after 2 winters so the dealer replaced it with matching Porsche hardware during the service (that was such a nice surprise - they did not even charge me), and it was fine from there on. Turbos had no rust at all, to my surprise.
Rocks are the real problem - my clear bra showed some wear after 4 winters, and the windshield was pockmarked and eventually cracked. The windshield in 992 TTS cracked as well from a rock in the sand mix they put on the roads. But I drive some brutal high-altitude roads, with sea-to-sky being the mellow end of the range, so driving in more civilized areas could be less rocky.
Also deep snow tends to dislocate brake ducts, but they pop right back in easily. I had to do it once a season on 991.2 but have not had a need so far on 992.
11-07-2023, 08:26 AM
Winter driving
